The Poker Business

As professional poker players today we need to start thinking of poker as a business. We need to treat it like we all own a small piece of this business. The growth of poker will only enhance our opportunities to individually profit from the game in the future. Absent that growth, fewer and fewer of us will be able to call poker our profession. As a collective we need to understand the importance of giving back to the game.

We should all be taking the time to promote the game we enjoy so much whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. There is no better time and place than the WSOP. We as professional poker players should make ourselves more accessible to the numerous poker media outlets on a daily basis while here at the WSOP. If you don’t know how to accomplish this let me know and I will make the connections necessary. There are so many unique and entertaining personalities in the game today and fans of poker, amateur players, and pro players alike all want to hear your thoughts.

It would be nice if each one of us would simply take off the headphones at one or more of the $1500 NL WSOP events and make the extra effort to chat with the folks at your table for just a few minutes. For example, you can strike up a conversation about the current events at the WSOP. You can bring up who made the final table yesterday or simply inquire from your tablemates what other events they are planning on playing while they are in town. You will be doing a service for poker and also for yourself. Most of you don’t fully realize the effect you can have on the casual players at the table good or bad. By just being courteous and engaging at the table you are not only promoting the game of poker but creating an instant fan base for yourself that can easily turn out to be somewhat rewarding.

Those are just two simple examples of the many things you can do to promote the game. Let’s all realize we are on the same team to grow this business and each should envision our own personal responsibility in this endeavor. We have to gear our attention to thinking long term with regards to our business and work together towards the future.

Treat poker as a business with the respect it deserves and one day you may ensure a future where poker will respect you back.